'OUTSTANDING' GILL SCOOPS TOP TEACHING AWARD

AN “OUTSTANDING” teaching assistant at a Wokingham school scooped a top regional award at a glitzy ceremony this week.

Gill McKernan, 47, of Barnardo’s High Close School in Wiltshire Road, fought off stiff competition to win the award for Teaching Assistant of the Year at The Teaching Awards 2004 for the South of England.

Mrs McKernan, who collected her prize at a ceremony at Winchester Guildhall on Thursday, was nominated by High Close headteacher Sandy Paterson who described her as “outstanding” and thanked her for her “exceptional support”.

Mr Paterson said: “I think Gill McKernan deserves to win a Teaching Award because she is an outstanding teaching assistant whose support to both staff and pupils is exceptional.

“High Close caters for pupils with severe emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) and Gill has worked in the school both as a residential social worker and teaching assistant.

“Gill provides opportunities for our pupils that extend their lives and experiences. She supports and helps to organise the school’s work experience programme.

“Gill has been very supportive to pupils who have had difficulties out of school and has assisted pupils in their own homes when some have been on temporary exclusions.

“She is always willing to help in any area of the school and is truly a very versatile, talented and well respected member of staff who always puts the pupils’ needs before her own.”

Mrs McKernan was shortlisted with three others and didn’t know she had won until the ceremony, when hers was the only name remaining on the list.

She said: “They go from the bottom upwards and if you’re not called up in the first three then you’ve won.

“When I wasn’t called all my friends knew I’d won. Reality just set in. When I went up there I had a few words to say but I was shaking — my heart was racing.”

All shortlisted candidates were visited by members of the panel, who observed lessons and heard testimony from members of the school

community.

And Mrs McKernan was joined by friends, family and the heads of the department and education at the school to share her moment of glory.

Mrs McKernan said: “You felt as if you were really special to be there. I’m still very shocked but reality is hitting home.

“To actually win it is fantastic and great for the school. At the end of the day you are working as part of a team and everybody has worked so hard.

“In the community, people don’t know that High Close is here.”

The school celebrated Mrs McKernan’s achievement with champagne and balloons on Friday — the pupils had kept their fingers crossed on Thursday.

Dame Sheila Wallis, chairman of the South of England Awards Panel, said: “The Teaching Awards Regional Ceremony is a wonderful occasion where we have an opportunity to say publicly very positive things about this profession of ours whose members have so much to be proud of and yet need to be coaxed to enjoy their day in the sun.

“Every year the task of finding a winner for each of the categories becomes harder, which is good news for the pupils and for the judges, who return from their school visits extremely excited by the excellent practice that they have been privileged to witness at first hand.”

Mrs McKernan now goes through to the final of the competition, which is to be held over a weekend in London in October.